Bone morphogenic proteins (bmp), bmp receptors and bmp binding proteins and their use in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides methods and kits for diagnosing and treating glaucoma.

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/286,152 filed Oct. 31, 2002, which claims benefit to Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/334,852 filed Oct. 31, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention discloses methods and reagents for diagnosing and treating glaucoma and related disorders.

2. Description of the Related Art

“Glaucomas” are a group of debilitating eye diseases that are the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States and other developed nations. Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (“POAG”), the most common form of glaucoma, is characterized by the degeneration of the trabecular meshwork, leading to obstruction of the normal ability of aqueous humor to leave the eye without closure of the space (e.g., the “angle”) between the iris and cornea (Vaughan, D. et al., (1992)). A characteristic of such obstruction in this disease is an increased intraocular pressure (“IOP”), resulting in progressive visual loss and blindness if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. The disease is estimated to affect between 0.4% and 3.3% of all adults over 40 years old (Leske, M. C. et al. (1986); Bengtsson, B. (1989); Strong, N. P. (1992)). Moreover, the prevalence of the disease rises with age to over 6% of those 75 years or older (Strong, N. P., (1992)).

Because increased IOP is a readily measurable characteristic of glaucoma, the diagnosis of the disease is largely screened for by measuring intraocular pressure (tonometry) (Strong, N. P. (1992); Greve, M. et al. (1993)). Unfortunately, because glaucomatous and normal pressure ranges overlap, such methods are of limited value unless multiple readings are obtained (Hitchings, R. A., (1993); Tuck, M. W. et al. (1993); Vaughan, D. et al., (1992); Vernon, S. A., (1993)). For this reason, additional methods, such as direct examination of the optic disk and determination of the extent of a patient's visual field loss are often conducted to improve the accuracy of diagnosis (Greve, M. et al., (1993)).

Glaucoma affects three separate tissues in the eye. The elevated IOP associated with POAG is due to morphological and biochemical changes in the trabecular meshwork (TM), a tissue located at the angle between the cornea and iris. Most of the nutritive aqueous humor exits the anterior segment of the eye through the TM. The progressive loss of TM cells and the build-up of extracellular debris in the TM of glaucomatous eyes leads to increased resistance to aqueous outflow (Lutjen-Drecoll and Rohen 1996; Rohen 1983; Rohen et al. 1993; Grierson and Calthorpe 1988), thereby raising IOP. Elevated IOP, as well as other factors such as ischemia, cause degenerative changes in the optic nerve head (ONH) leading to progressive “cupping” of the ONH (Varma and Minckler 1996; Hernandez and Gong 1996; Hernandez et al. 1990; Hernandez and Pena 1997; Morrison al. 1990) and loss of retinal ganglion cells (Quigley et al. 2000; Quigley 1999; Quigley et al. 1995; Kerrigan et al. 1997) and axons. The detailed molecular mechanisms responsible for glaucomatous damage to the TM, ONH, and the retinal ganglion cells are unknown.

Current glaucoma therapy is directed to lowering IOP, a major risk factor for the development and progression of glaucoma. These therapies lower IOP, but they do not directly address the pathogenic mechanisms, and the disease continues to progress. At least half of patients with glaucoma are undiagnosed, and by the time patients are diagnosed with glaucoma, they have already lost approximately 40% of their retinal ganglion cells. Therefore, methods for earlier detection and diagnosis of glaucoma are needed.

In view of the importance of glaucoma, and the at least partial inadequacies of prior methods of diagnosis, it would be desirable to have an improved, more accurate method for diagnosing glaucoma in its early stages. In addition, it would be desirable to have new therapeutic agents that address glaucomatous pathogenic mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing methods and kits for the early diagnosis of glaucoma, for treating glaucoma, and for the identification of compounds useful in the treatment of glaucoma.

In certain specific embodiments, the invention provides a method for diagnosing glaucoma in a sample obtained from a cell or bodily fluid by detecting altered expression of a bone morphogenic protein family member gene. The method generally includes the steps of:

-   -   a) obtaining a tissue or fluid sample from a patient suspected         of having glaucoma;     -   b) extracting DNA from said sample;     -   c) obtaining a plurality of PCR primers, wherein said primers         each comprise a sequence consisting of from 18 to 1547         contiguous nucleotides from SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID         NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO: 37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41,         SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53;     -   d) amplifying regions of the extracted DNA using said primers to         obtain a PCR product;     -   e) resolving the PCR product; and     -   f) identifying differences between the sequence of the PCR         product and the normal gene sequence;     -   where a difference between the amplified sequence and the normal         gene sequence is diagnostic of glaucoma.

In general, the methods of the invention may include obtaining a sample from an individual and extracting DNA from said sample. Select PCR primers for specific members of the BMP gene family are then used to amplify relevant regions of the extracted gene to obtain a PCR product. The PCR product is resolved by a technique that effectively identifies DNA sequence differences between the normal and mutated form of the specific BMP family gene being evaluated (the extracted DNA). Identified differences between the sequences are indicative of glaucoma.

The tissue or fluid sample for use in the methods of the invention may be blood or buccal cells.

Typically, the primer sequences will have a length of between about 10, 15 or 18 nucleotides to about 20, or to about 30 nucleotides. Longer sequences, e.g., 40, 50, 80, 90, 95, 100, even up to full length, are even more preferred for certain embodiments. Lengths of oligonucleotides of at least about 18 to 20 nucleotides are well accepted by those of skill in the art as sufficient to allow sufficiently specific hybridization so as to be useful as a molecular probe, as described by Lathe (1985), which reference is specifically incorporated herein by reference for this purpose. Preferably, the nucleotide sequence will consist of from 20 to 100 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53. It is also contemplated that the primer sequences may consist of sequences of at least 10, 15 or 18 contiguous nucleotides from the sequences of BMP receptor genes and from BMP-associated proteins, the sequences of which are known.

Nucleic acid molecules having stretches of 10, 18, 20, 30, 50, 60, 65 or even up to and including 100 nucleotides or so, complementary to any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53, have utility as hybridization probes. Primers or probes having a nucleotide length of about 18 nucleotides are recognized by those of skill in the art to provide highly specific hybridization to a target sequence. The total size of the fragment, as well as the size of the complementary stretches, will ultimately depend on the intended use of application of the particular nucleic acid segment. Smaller fragments will generally find use in hybridization embodiments, wherein the length of the complementary region may be varied, such as between about 10, 18, 20 or 30 and about 50, 60, 70, 80, 80 or 100 nucleotides, or even full length according to the complementary sequences one wishes to detect.

In specifically preferred embodiments, the primers will consist of contiguous sequences from SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53. In other preferred embodiments, the primers will consist of contiguous sequences from BMP receptor genes (disclosed in ten Dijke et al. 1993; Astrom et al. 1999; Nohno et al. 1995, all incorporated herein by reference) or from BMP-associated genes, such as chordin (NCBI NM_(—)029130), gremlin (Murphy et al. 1999; McMahon et al. 2000), follistatin (NCBI NM_(—)003892) or bambi (NCBI NM_(—)005791). Most preferably, the primers will consist of contiguous sequence from SEQ ID NO:3. In certain aspects, at least some of the primers may further include a detectable label.

In other embodiments, the invention provides a method for treating glaucoma by administering to a patient in need thereof a composition comprising a sequence consisting of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a BMP2 agonist, a BMP4 agonist, a BMP5 agonist, a BMP7 agonist, a Smad 1/5 agonist, a chordin antagonist, a gremlin antagonist and a follistatin antagonist.

In additional aspects, the present invention provides a method for identifying a therapeutic agent for the treatment of glaucoma. Therapeutic agents may be identified, for example, by:

-   -   a) obtaining a first composition comprising a population of         recombinant cells expressing BMP-2A, BMP4, BMP-5, or BMP7;     -   b) obtaining a candidate substance;     -   c) incubating said composition and said candidate substance;         testing said composition for its ability to turn on BMP-induced         Smad signaling pathways and/or BMP-regulated gene expression;         and identifying a candidate substance that inhibits, or         stimulates, these downstream effects of BMP.

Another aspect of the invention are diagnostic kits containing sequences of the present invention and suitable reagents such as a detectable label linked to a protein, peptide or the antibody itself. Alternatively, the detectable label may be linked to a second sequence which selectively hybridizes to a sequence of the invention.

Related embodiments include therapeutic kits which include pharmaceutically-acceptable formulations of either the nucleic acid sequences or peptide or protein sequences disclosed herein. Such kits are useful in the detection of altered expression of the BMP genes and proteins in clinical samples for the diagnosis of glaucoma.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 1. Nucleotide (SEQ ID NO: 1) and amino acid (SEQ ID NO: 2) sequence of BMP2A.

FIG. 2. Nucleotide (SEQ ID NO: 3) and amino acid (SEQ ID NO: 4) sequence of BMP4.

FIG. 3. Nucleotide (SEQ ID NO: 5) and amino acid (SEQ ID NO: 6) sequence of BMP5.

FIG. 4. Nucleotide (SEQ ID NO: 7) and amino acid (SEQ ID NO: 8) sequence of BMP7.

FIG. 5. Bone morphogenic protein signaling pathway. Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) dimers bind to a membrane complex composed of BMP receptors 1 and 2, which are serin/threonine kinases. The regulatory Smads (Smad1/Smad5) become phosphorylated and associate with a co-Smad (Smad 4). This resulting Smad complex enters the nucleus where it associates with transcription factors (TF) and regulates gene expression. BMP associated proteins act as BMP antagonists by binding BMPs and preventing BMP interaction with BMP receptors.

FIG. 6. BMP expression in human TM cells and tissues. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of BMP PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of BMP expression in human TM cells (lanes 1-5) and tissues (lanes 6-7). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 7. BMP receptor expression in human TM cells and tissues. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of BMP receptor expression in human TM cells (lanes 1-5) and tissues (lanes 6-7). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 8. BMP expression in human ONH astrocytes, ONH tissues, and human brain astrocytes. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of BMP expression in human ONH astrocyte (lanes 1-5), ONH tissue (lane 6), and human brain astrocytes (lane 7). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 9. BMP expression in human lamina cribrosa cell lines. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of human lamina cribrosa cells (lanes 1-9). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 10. BMP receptor expression in human ONH astrocytes, ONH tissues, and human brain astrocytes. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of BMP receptor expression in human optic nerve head astrocytes (ONA) (lanes 1-5), ONH tissue (lane 6), and human brain astrocytes (lane 7). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR control.

FIG. 11. BMP receptor expression in human lamina cribrosa cell lines. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of human lamina cribrosa cells (lanes 1-9). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR control.

FIG. 12. Western immunoblot of BMP and BMP receptor expression in cultured human TM cells, optic nerve head astrocytes (ONA), and lamina cribrosa cells. Chemiluminescent detection of BMP proteins and BMP receptors in human trabecular meshwork cells (lanes 1-2), ONH astrocytes (lanes 3-4), and lamina cribrosa cells (lanes 5-6). Protein size indicated in kDa.

FIG. 13. BMP associated protein mRNA expression in human TM cells. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of human TM cells (lanes 1-5). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 14. BMP associated protein mRNA expression in human lamina cribrosa cells and ONH astrocytes. Ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel of PCR products from cDNA samples generated from RT-PCR analysis of lamina cribrosa (LC) cells (lanes 1-7) and ONH astrocytes (ONA) (lanes 8-11). L=base pair markers. C=PCR negative control lane. β-actin was used as a positive RT-PCR internal control.

FIG. 15. Illustrates increased expression of the BMP antagonist gremlin (CKTSF1B1) in glaucomatous TM cells. Gene expression was assessed using Affymetrix gene arrays (Affymetrix gene chip U133A).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The trabecular meshwork has been proposed to play an important role in the normal flow of the aqueous humor, and has been presumed to be the major site of outflow resistance in glaucomatous eyes. Human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells are specialized cells which line the outflow channels by which aqueous humor exits the eye. Altered synthetic function of the cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of POAG, steroid glaucoma, and other types of glaucoma.

Despite years of intensive research, the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for glaucomatous damage to the eye are not known. Recent research has suggested that growth factors may be important in maintaining normal homeostasis in the ocular tissues associated with glaucoma, and alterations in growth factor/growth factor receptors may play a role in glaucoma pathogenesis. Growth factors area very large family of polypeptides that control cell growth and differentiation. These molecules have a variety of cell-specific effects on gene expression, extracellular matrix composition and deposition, cytoskeletal organization, and regulation of cellular functions. The TM expresses a wide variety of growth factors, growth factor receptors (Tripathi et al. 1993a; Tripathi et al. 1993b; Tripathi et al. 1994a; Tripathi et al. 1994b; Wordinger et al. 1998; Wordinger et al. 1999) as well as neurotrophin/neurotrophic factors and their receptors (Liu et al. 2001; Wordinger et al. 2000). ONH astrocytes and lamina cribrosa cells, two cell types of the optic nerve head, express growth factors, neurotrophins and their receptors (Lambert et al. 2001; Pena et al. 1999). The aqueous humor also contains a variety of growth factors including FGF2, EGF, TGFβ, HGF (Tripathi et al. 1996; Tripathi et al. 1991; Tripathi et al. 1992; Hu and Ritch 2001) as well as neurotrophins (Chundru et al. 2000). Elevated levels of aqueous humor TGFβ-2 and HGF have been reported in POAG patients (Tripathi et al. 1994c; Inatani et al. 2001; Picht et al. 2001). Growth factors may be involved in glaucoma by altering the normal development and/or function of the TM and ONH.

The present invention stems in part from the recognition that bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) not only induce bone and cartilage formation but are multifunctional cytokines having a wide range of effects on numerous cell types (Hogan 1996; Reddi 1997) and are expressed by both human trabecular meshwork (HTM) and optic nerve head (ONH) cells (Wordinger et al. 2002). BMPs are members of the TGFβsuperfamily, and there are approximately 15-20 BMPs genes in man, 3 BMP receptors, and a number of BMP associated proteins that function as BMP antagonists (Yamashita et al. 1996). BMPs signal via a receptor complex consisting of BMPR-I and BMPR-II. It has been reported that superfamily members TGFβ and TGFβR (Agarwal et al. 1997; Lambert et al. 1997) and GDNF and GDNFR (Wordinger et al. 1999; Liu et al. 1999) are expressed by both HTM and ONH cells.

BMPs and BMP receptors are expressed in ocular tissues (Obata et al. 1999; You et al. 1999), but previous reports have focused on ocular development. The function of BMPs is important in ocular development since targeted disruption of genes encoding BMPs in mice leads to severe developmental defects in the retina and the lens (Jena et al. 1997; Luo et al. 1995; Dudley et al. 1995). BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-7 are involved in the development of the lens and retina (Jena et al. 1997; Furuta and Hogan 1998; Reddi 2000; Trousse et al. 2001). BMP-6 and BMP-7 also appear to play a role in protecting neurons from hypoglycemic or ischemic damage (Nonner et al. 2001; Liu et al. 2001), and BMP2 has been shown to enhance ganglion cell neurotrophin expression (Zhang et al. 1998). Heterozygous knock-out mice haploinsufficient for Bmp4 have ocular phenotypes including anterior segment dysgenesis, elevated IOP, and optic nerve abnormalities (Chang et al. 2001). There has been very limited information published concerning the role of BMPs in the human postnatal eye.

Mohan and colleagues (1998) reported that BMP-2 and BMP-4 and BMP receptors were expressed in cells of the adult cornea and suggested that BMP function might include corneal keratocyte proliferation and apoptosis. You and colleagues (1999) verified this study and also reported the expression of BMP-3, BMP-5, and BMP-7 in ex vivo and cultured corneal epithelium and stromal cells. They reported that the level of BMP transcription was higher in the stroma while the level for receptors was higher in cultured corneal epithelial cells.

Using RT-PCR, the present inventors discovered mRNAs for BMPs, BMP receptors BMPR-IA, BMPR-IB and BMPR-II, as well as BMP binding proteins gremlin, chordin, follistatin, and bambi, in HTM, lamina cribosa (LC) and ONH astrocyte cell lines and tissues (Wordinger et al. 2002). The present inventors further discovered that HTM and ONH cells express proteins BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-5 and BMP-7.

Glaucoma will be diagnosed by characterization of genetic changes in genes of members of the BMP signaling family. As used herein, the phrases “bone morphogenic protein family member gene” and “BMP signaling family” refer to all BMPs, BMP receptors and associated proteins. The term “genetic changes” is well known by those skilled in the art. There are numerous examples of diseases associated with genetic changes in specific genes (for examples see Cummings 1997; Strachan, et al. 1996; Jorde, et al. 1999). Genetic changes in a specific gene (e.g. BMP) can be determined using a variety of techniques well known by those skilled in the art, such as: SSCP, DGGE, ASO, RFLP, heteroduplex analysis, CCM, PTT, and RNase cleavage (see Birren, et al. 1998).

Glaucoma may be caused by altered expression of one or more BMP family genes in the eye, which leads to elevated IOP and/or glaucomatous optic neuropathy. “Altered BMP gene expression” means expression of this gene product that is different from normal. The term may also refer to alterations in the sequence of the gene or protein. The normal BMP gene has been well characterized (see above), and the expression of BMP has been reported in a variety of tissues including the TM and ONH. Genetic changes in the coding region of BMP family genes may alter the function of these proteins. Genetic changes outside the coding region may also lead to glaucoma.

It is well known by those skilled in the art that “changes outside” of the coding region of a specific gene are important in the regulation of gene expression. For example, the region upstream (5′) of the coding region of most genes is known as the promoter region which “promotes” and regulates the expression of that gene. The promoter region contains numerous nucleotide sequences recognized by various transcription factors and DNA binding proteins that are responsible for activation or repression of gene expression. Regions downstream (3′) of the gene can determine poly-adenylation of the gene product, thereby regulating RNA processing and translation of the gene product.

The altered expression of BMP genes or mutations in the sequence of the genes that is indicative of glaucoma may be detected using techniques well known to those of skill in the art. For example, it is contemplated that a nucleic acid fragment of almost any length may be employed, with the total length preferably being limited by the ease of preparation and use in the intended protocol. The nucleic acid sequences disclosed herein may also have utility as probes or primers in nucleic acid hybridization embodiments. As such, it is contemplated that nucleic acid segments that comprise a sequence region that consists of at least a 14 nucleotide long contiguous sequence that has the same sequence as, or is complementary to, a 14 nucleotide long contiguous sequence of BMP-2A (SEQ ID NO:1), BMP-4 (SEQ ID NO:3), BMP-5 (SEQ ID NO:5), BMP-7 (SEQ ID NO:7), BMP-RIA (SEQ ID NO:37), BMP-RIB (SEQ ID NO:39), BMP-RII (SEQ ID NO:41), chordin (SEQ ID NO:43), gremlin (SEQ ID NO:45), follistatin (SEQ ID NO:47), or bambi (SEQ ID NO:53) will find particular utility. Longer contiguous identical or complementary sequences, e.g., those of about 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 nucleotides (including all intermediate lengths), and even up to full length sequences of about 1547 nucleotides (for BMP-2A), 1946 nucleotides (for BMP-4), 2153 nucleotides (for BMP-5) and 1878 nucleotides (for BMP-7), 2932 nucleotides (for BMP-RIA), 2032 nucleotides (for BMP-RIB), 3611 nucleotides (for BMP-RII), 3561 nucleotides (for chordin), 4049 nucleotides (for gremlin), 1386 nucleotides (for follistatin), and 1523 nucleotides (for bambi) will also be of use in certain embodiments.

It will be readily understood that “intermediate lengths”, in this context, means any length between the quoted ranges, such as 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, etc.; 21, 22, 23, etc.; 30, 31, 32, etc.; 50, 51, 52, 53, etc.; 100, 101, 102, 103, etc.; 150, 151, 152, 153, etc.; including all integers through the 200-500; 500-1,000; 1,000-2,000 ranges, up to and including sequences of 2,001, 2002, 2050, 2051, and the like.

The ability of such nucleic acid probes and primers to specifically hybridize to BMP coding sequences and primers to specifically amplify BMP sequences will enable them to be of use in detecting the presence of complementary sequences in a given sample. However, other uses are envisioned, including the use of the sequence information for the preparation of mutant species primers, or primers for use in preparing other genetic constructions.

Nucleic acid molecules having sequence regions consisting of contiguous nucleotide stretches of 10, 20, 30, 50, or even of 100-200 nucleotides or so, identical or complementary to BMP-2A (SEQ ID NO:1), BMP4 (SEQ ID NO:3), BMP-5 (SEQ ID NO:5), BMP7 (SEQ ID NO:7), BMP-RIA (SEQ ID NO:37), BMP-RIB (SEQ ID NO:39), BMP-RII (SEQ ID NO:41), chordin (SEQ ID NO:43), gremlin (SEQ ID NO:45), follistatin (SEQ ID NO:47), or bambi (SEQ ID NO:53) are particularly contemplated as hybridization probes for use in, e.g., SNP evaluation and solid phase hybridization assays, in addition to Southern and northern blotting. This would allow BMP structural or regulatory genes to be analyzed, both in tissues and cells. The total size of fragment, as well as the size of the complementary stretch(es), will ultimately depend on the intended use of application of the particular nucleic acid segment. Smaller fragments will generally find use in hybridization embodiments, wherein the length of the contiguous complementary region may be varied, such as between about 10 and about 100 nucleotides, but larger contiguous complementary stretches of up to about 1547 nucleotides (for BMP-2A), 1946 nucleotides (for BMP-4), 2153 nucleotides (for BMP-5) and 1878 nucleotides (for BMP-7), 2932 nucleotides (for BMP-RIA), 2032 nucleotides (for BMP-RIB), 3611 nucleotides (for BMP-RII), 3561 nucleotides (for chordin), 4049 nucleotides (for gremlin), 1386 nucleotides (for follistatin), and 1523 nucleotides (for bambi) may be used, according to the length complementary sequences one wishes to detect.

The use of a hybridization probe of about 10-14 nucleotides in length allows the formation of a duplex molecule that is both stable and selective. Molecules having contiguous complementary sequences over stretches greater than 10 bases in length are generally preferred, though, in order to increase stability and selectivity of the hybrid, and thereby improve the quality and degree of specific hybrid molecules obtained, one will generally prefer to design nucleic acid molecules having gene-complementary stretches of 15 to 20 contiguous nucleotides, or even longer where desired.

Hybridization probes may be selected from any portion of any of the sequences disclosed herein. All that is required is to review the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47 or SEQ ID NO:53 and to select any continuous portion of the sequence, from about 10 nucleotides in length up to and including the full length sequence, that one wishes to utilize as a probe or primer. The choice of probe and primer sequences may be governed by various factors, such as, by way of example only, one may wish to employ primers from towards the termini of the total sequence, or from the ends of the functional domain-encoding sequences, in order to amplify further DNA.

The process of selecting, and preparing a nucleic acid segment that includes a contiguous sequence from within BMP-2A (SEQ ID NO:1), BMP4 (SEQ ID NO:3), BMP-5 (SEQ ID NO:5), BMP7 (SEQ ID NO:7), BMP-RIA (SEQ ID NO:37), BMP-RIB (SEQ ID NO:39), BMP-RII (SEQ ID NO:41), chordin (SEQ ID NO:43), gremlin (SEQ ID NO:45), follistatin (SEQ ID NO:47), or bambi (SEQ ID NO:53) may alternatively be described as preparing a nucleic acid fragment. Of course, fragments may also be obtained by other techniques such as, e.g., by mechanical shearing or by restriction enzyme digestion. Small nucleic acid segments or fragments may be readily prepared by, for example, directly synthesizing the fragment by chemical means, as is commonly practiced using an automated oligonucleotide synthesizer. Also, fragments may be obtained by application of nucleic acid reproduction technology, such as the PCR™ technology of U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,202 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,195 (each incorporated herein by reference), by introducing selected sequences into recombinant vectors for recombinant production, and by other recombinant DNA techniques generally known to those of skill in the art of molecular biology.

Accordingly, the nucleotide sequences of the invention may be used for their ability to selectively form duplex molecules with complementary stretches of BMP genes or cDNAs. Depending on the application envisioned, one will desire to employ varying degrees of selectivity of hybridization to achieve varying degrees of selectivity of probe towards target sequence. For applications requiring high selectivity, one will typically desire to employ relatively stringent conditions to form the hybrids, e.g., one will select relatively low salt and/or high temperature conditions, such as provided by 0.02M-0.15M NaCl at temperatures of 50° C. to 70° C. Such selective conditions tolerate little, if any, mismatch between the probe and the template or target strand, and would be particularly suitable for examining BMP genes.

Of course, for some applications, for example, where one desires to prepare or identify mutants employing a mutant primer strand hybridized to an underlying template or where one seeks to isolate BMP encoding sequences from related species, functional equivalents, or the like, less stringent hybridization conditions will typically be needed in order to allow formation of the heteroduplex. In these circumstances, one may desire to employ conditions such a 0.15M-1.0M salt, at temperatures ranging from 20° C. to 55° C. Cross-hybridizing species can thereby be readily identified as positively hybridizing signals with respect to control hybridizations. In any case, it is generally appreciated that conditions can be rendered more stringent by decreasing NaCl concentrations or by the addition of increasing amounts of formamide, which serves to destabilize the hybrid duplex in the same manner as increased temperature. Thus, hybridization conditions can be readily manipulated, and thus will generally be a method of choice depending on the desired results.

In certain embodiments, it will be advantageous to employ nucleic acid sequences of the present invention in combination with an appropriate means, such as a label, for determining hybridization. A wide variety of appropriate indicator means are known in the art, including fluorescent, radioactive, enzymatic or other ligands, such as avidin/biotin, which are capable of giving a detectable signal. In preferred embodiments, one will likely desire to employ a fluorescent label or an enzyme tag, such as urease, alkaline phosphatase or peroxidase, instead of radioactive or other environmental undesirable reagents. In the case of enzyme tags, calorimetric indicator substrates are known that can be employed to provide a means visible to the human eye or spectrophotometrically, to identify specific hybridization with complementary nucleic acid-containing samples.

In general, it is envisioned that the hybridization probes described herein will be useful both as reagents in solution hybridization as well as in embodiments employing a solid phase. In embodiments involving a solid phase, the test DNA (or RNA) is adsorbed or otherwise affixed to a selected matrix or surface. This fixed, single-stranded nucleic acid is then subjected to specific hybridization with selected probes under desired conditions. The selected conditions will depend on the particular circumstances based on the particular criteria required (depending, for example, on the G+C contents, type of target nucleic acid, source of nucleic acid, size of hybridization probe, etc.). Following washing of the hybridized surface so as to remove nonspecifically bound probe molecules, specific hybridization is detected, or even quantified, by means of the label.

It will also be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of BMP-2A (SEQ ID NO:1), BMP4 (SEQ ID NO:3), BMP-5 (SEQ ID NO:5), BMP7 (SEQ ID NO:7), BMP-RIA (SEQ ID NO:37), BMP-RIB (SEQ ID NO:39), BMP-RII (SEQ ID NO:41), chordin (SEQ ID NO:43), gremlin (SEQ ID NO:45), follistatin (SEQ ID NO:47), or bambi (SEQ ID NO:53). Recombinant vectors and isolated DNA segments may therefore variously include the BMP coding regions themselves, upstream or downstream regions of the genes, coding regions bearing selected alterations or modifications in the basic coding region, or they may encode larger polypeptides that nevertheless include BMP coding regions or may encode biologically functional equivalent proteins or polypeptides that have variant amino acid sequences.

The DNA segments of the present invention encompass biologically functional equivalent BMP proteins and polypeptides. Such sequences may arise as a consequence of codon redundancy and functional equivalency that are known to occur naturally within nucleic acid sequences and the proteins thus encoded. Alternatively, functionally equivalent proteins or polypeptides may be created via the application of recombinant DNA technology, in which changes in the protein structure may be engineered, based on considerations of the properties of the amino acids being exchanged. Changes designed by man may be introduced through the application of site-directed mutagenesis techniques, e.g., to introduce improvements to the antigenicity of the protein or to test BMP mutants in order to examine binding activity at the molecular level.

The therapeutic agent for the treatment of glaucoma can be: a peptide or protein, a peptide mimetic, an oligonucleotide or derivatized oligonucleotide, or small drug-like molecule, all which affect one or more aspects of the ocular BMP pathways. Preferred therapeutic agents are those that are: (1) BMP2, BMP4, BMP5, or BMP7 agonists; (2) chordin, gremlin, follistatin, or bambi antagonists; and/or (3) Smad1, Smad5 and/or Smad4 agonists.

The agent may be delivered directly to the eye (for example: topical ocular drops is or ointments; slow release devices in the cul-de-sac or implanted adjacent to the sclera or within the eye; periocular, conjunctival, sub-Tenons, intracameral or intravitreal injections) or parenterally (for example: orally; intravenous, subcutaneous or intramuscular injections; dermal delivery; etc.) using techniques well known by those skilled in the art. The following are examples of possible formulations embodied by this invention.

wt. % (a) Topical ocular formulation Agent that increases ocular BMP-4 expression 0.01-2   HPMC 0.5 Sodium chloride 0.8 BAC 0.01% EDTA 0.01 NaOH/HCl qs pH 7.4 Purified water qs 100 mL (b) Topical ocular formulation Gremlin antagonist 0.01-2   HPMC 0.5 Sodium chloride 0.8 BAC 0.01 EDTA 0.01 NaOH/HCl qs pH 7.4 Purified water qs 100 mL (c) Topical ocular formulation Smad ⅕ agonist 0.01-2   HPMC 0.5 Sodium chloride 0.8 BAC 0.01 EDTA 0.01 NaOH/HCl qs pH 7.2 Purified water qs 100 mL

It is further contemplated that the compounds of the invention could be formulated in intraocular insert devices.

A. Assay for Therapeutic Agents

This invention is also useful for the discovery of new anti-glaucoma therapeutic agents that are involved in the BMP signaling pathway (see FIG. 5). Selective BMP ligands bind to BMP type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors (BMP-RI and BMP-RII) and transduce signal via Smad proteins. The BMP signal is propagated by Smads through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions (Attisano and Tuen Lee-Hoeflich 2001). Regulatory Smad 1 and Smad 5 are activated (via phosphorylation) by ligand bound BMP receptors (von Bubnoff and Cho 2001). These regulatory Smads then interact with Smad 4 to form a heteromeric complex that translocates to the nucleus. This complex is able to activate or repress the transcription of selective genes that recognize this transcriptional complex, depending on which nuclear co-factors are present.

The BMP/Smad signaling pathway is negatively regulated by several mechanisms. Certain BMP-binding proteins (such as gremlin, BAMBI, or follistatin) bind BMPs and inhibit their interaction with BMP receptors. In addition, there are inhibitory Smad proteins (e.g. Smad 6 and Smad 7), which bind and inactivate BMP receptors. (Kowabata et al. 1998; Itoh et al. 2000; Miyazono 2000). The present inventors have discovered that human TM cells, ONH astrocytes and lamina cribrosa cells express message and protein for the BMP receptor complex. Thus, these cells could respond to endogenous BMP ligands.

Various methods may be used to discover new anti-glaucoma therapeutic agents, and these techniques are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, peptide or peptide mimetic agents that act as agonists or inhibitors of BMPs can be discovered through molecular modeling of BMP/BMP receptor structures (Nickel et al. 2001). BMP signal transduction involves select sets of Smad proteins (Kawabata et al. 1998; Itoh et al. 2000; Attiseno et al. 2000). Select BMP agonists and Smad agonists can be discovered using cell based assays. The test cell should express the appropriate BMP receptor(s) and possess the appropriate BMP signaling pathway. Because one of the major effects of BMP signaling is the alteration of gene expression, BMP agonists and Smad agonists can be discovered by screening for BMP-induced genes. The induction of BMP regulated genes also may be assayed by quantitating levels of mRNA using quantitative RT-PCR (Wang et al. 2001), DNA microarrays, or reporter gene constructs. There are natural inhibitors of BMP signaling, the BMP binding proteins (also known as BMP-associated proteins), such as chordin, gremlin, and follistatin. Antagonists of the protein inhibitors can be discovered using ligand binding assays. For example, test agents can be added to recombinant purified gremlin, and those agents that bind to gremlin are identified using a variety of techniques known to those skilled in the art. To determine whether these agents are gremlin antagonists, a cell based assay similar to that described above is used.

It is contemplated that any known in vitro and in vivo screening models may be used in conjunction with the present invention to identify new glaucoma therapies directed to the BMP family of genes. Such models are well known to those skilled in the art and their practice has become routine. Small peptides or peptide mimetics can be designed based on structure/function knowledge of the BMP, BMPR, and/or BMP binding protein gene products. Ligand binding assays can be used to detect small molecules that bind to BMPs, BMPRs, or BMP binding proteins. Cell based assays can look at the effects of various agents on BMP signaling pathways. Knock-in cell lines containing BMP family gene promoters coupled to a reporter gene can be generated to look for agents that alter BMP family member gene expression. These assays can be used to identify both agonist and antagonist molecules. Ex vivo assays, such as perfusion cultured anterior segments from human eyes (Clark et al. 1995a; Pang et al. 2000), can be used to examine the effects of agents on IOP and on BMP signaling in TM tissue. Rodent models of glaucoma can be generated using well-known techniques to create stable BMP family member transgenic, knockout, or knock-in strains of mice and rats. These rodent models can be used to screen for agents that alter the glaucoma-like phenotype(s) (e.g. tonometry to evaluate effects on IOP, histology to evaluate effects on glaucomatous optic neurology).

B. Kits

The present invention provides methods, compositions and kits for the early detection of glaucoma. The kits can contain a nucleic acid segment encoding a BMP polypeptide or protein. The kit can further contain reagents for detecting an interaction between a sample and a nucleic acid or peptide of the present invention. The provided reagent can be radio-, fluorescently- or enzymatically-labeled. The kit can contain a known radiolabeled agent capable of binding or interacting with a nucleic acid or peptide or protein of the present invention.

The reagent of the kit can be provided as a liquid solution, attached to a solid support or as a dried powder. Preferably, when the reagent is provided in a liquid solution, the liquid solution is an aqueous solution. Preferably, when the reagent provided is attached to a solid support, the solid support can be chromatography media, a test plate having a plurality of wells, or a microscope slide. When the reagent provided is a dry powder, the powder can be reconstituted by the addition of a suitable solvent, that may be provided.

In still further embodiments, the present invention concerns diagnostic methods and associated kits for the diagnosis of glaucoma. It is proposed that the BMP associated peptides and nucleic acids of the invention may be employed to detect polymorphisms or mutations in the BMP nucleic acids from patient samples. In general, these methods will include first obtaining a sample suspected of containing such a polymorphism or mutation, contacting the sample with a peptide or nucleic acid of the present invention, as the case may be, under conditions effective to allow the formation of a complex, and then detecting the presence of the complex.

In general, the detection of complex formation is quite well known in the art and may be achieved through the application of numerous approaches. For example, the present invention contemplates the application of ELISA, RIA, indirect fluorescence techniques and the like. Generally, complex formation will be detected through the use of a label, such as a radiolabel or an enzyme tag (such as alkaline phosphatase, horseradish peroxidase, or the like). Of course, one may find additional advantages through the use of a secondary binding ligand.

The following examples are representative of the techniques employed by the inventors in carrying out aspects of the present invention. It should be appreciated that while these techniques are exemplary of preferred embodiments for the practice of the invention, those of skill in the art, in light of the present disclosure, will recognize that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.

Example 1

Cell culture: Human TM cells and ONH cells were generated from donor eyes as described (Steely et al 1992; Steely et al. 2000; Wilson et al. 1993; Clark et al. 1994; Clark et al. 1995b; Clark et al. 1995c; Clark et al. 1996; Clark et al. 2001a; Clark et al. 2001b; Dickerson et al. 1998; Wordinger et al. 1998; Wordinger et al. 1999; Wordinger et al. 2000; Wordinger et al. 2002; Lambert et al. 2001; Agarwal et al. 1999; Liu et al. 2001). TM cells were grown from TM explants of donors ranging in age from 6 days to 90 years. Human optic nerve head astrocytes and lamina cribrosa (LC) cells were generated from carefully dissected optic nerve heads (donors aged 2 days to 90 years) and characterized according to previous reports (Lambert et al. 2001; Clark et al. 1995a). The cells were grown to confluency in the following media: Ham's F10 media (JRH Biosciences, Lenexa, Kans.) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (HyClone, Logan, Utah) and antibiotics (Gibco BRL-Life Technologies, Grand Island, N.Y.) for TM cells; Dulbecco's modified Eagle's media (DMEM, HyClone) containing 10% FBS for LC cells; and astrocyte growth medium (AGM, Clonetics, San Diego, Calif.) containing 5% FBS for ONH astrocytes.

RT-PCR: Human TM and ONH tissues also were dissected from donor eyes (Wordinger et al. 1998; Wang et al. 2001). Total RNA was extracted from the TM and ONH cells and tissues using TRIzol extraction (Gibco BRL-Life Technologies), and cDNA prepared by reverse transcription using standard procedures (Wordinger et al. 1998; Wordinger et al. 1999; Wordinger et al. 2000; Wordinger et al. 2002). PCR primers were designed using the Oligos 4.0 software program (see primer pairs in Table 1). All primer pairs were designed so that amplification of potentially contaminated genomic DNA sequences would produce mRNA PCR products that would be substantially larger than expected, because intron sequences that were excised during RNA processing would be included in genomic DNA. The β-actin PCR primers, AGGCCAACCGCGAGAAGATGACC (upstream) (SEQ ID NO: 55) and GAAGTCCAGGGCGACGTAGCAC (downstream) (SEQ ID NO: 56) with an annealing temperature of 55° C. yielded a PCR product of 350 bp.

PCR reactions were run as described (Wordinger et al. 1998; Wordinger et al. 1999; Wordinger et al. 2000; Lambert et al. 2001; Wordinger et al. 2002) using Taq Start Antibody Hot Start with the following cycle conditions: 2 minutes at 94° C., 2 minutes at 92° C., and 40 cycles of 30 seconds at the optimal annealing temperature, extension for 90 seconds at 72° C. and denaturation for 45 seconds at 92° C. The amplified PCR products were examined by horizontal electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gels. To ensure specificity of the RT-PCR products, Southern blot analysis was performed with probes designed using Oligo 4.0 that hybridized to a region within the amplified PCR product. PCR products were sequenced to verify the specificity of the PCR reactions. Table 2 lists the members of the BMP family that are expressed in the human TM and ONH.

TABLE 1 PCR Primer Pairs, Annealing Temperature and Amplimer Size of BMPs Ampl. Assession Upstream Downstream Size Name Number PCR Primer PCR Primer (bp) BMP-2A NM_001200 ACTGCGGTCTCCTAAA GCTGACCTGAGTGCCT 657 GGTCGA GCGAT (SEQ ID NO: 9) (SEQ ID NO: 10) BMP-4 NM_001202 GAATGCTGATGGTCGT AGACTGAAGCCGGTA 348 TTTTATTATG AAGAT (SEQ ID NO: 11) (SEQ ID NO:12) BMP-5 NM_021073 AAGAGGACAAGAAGG GTAGAGATCCAGCATA 303 ACTAAAAATAT AAGAGAGGT (SEQ ID NO: 13) (SEQ ID NO: 14) BMP-7 NM_001719 AGCCCGGGTAGCGCGT GCGCCGGTGGATGAA 202 AGAG GCTCGA (SEQ ID NO: 15) (SEQ ID NO: 16) BMPR-1A NM_004329 TAAAGGTGACAGTACA TCTATGATGGCAAAGC 298 CAGGAACA AATGTCC (SEQ ID NO: 17) (SEQ ID NO: 18) BMPR-1B NM_001203 TACAAGCCTGCCATAA ATCATCGTGAAACAAT 211 GTGAAGAAGC ATCCGTCTG (SEQ ID NO:19) (SEQ ID NO: 20) BMPR-II NM_001204 TCCTCTCATCAGCCAT AGTTACTACACATTCT 457 TTGTCCTTTC TCATAG (SEQ ID NO: 21) (SEQ ID NO: 22) Chordin AF209930 CTCTGCTCACTCTGCA CCGGTCACCATCAAAA 198 (CHRD) CCTG TAGC (SEQ ID NO: 23) (SEQ ID NO: 24) Gremlin NM_013372 ATCAACCGCTTCTGTT ATGCAACGACACTGCT 197 (CKTSF1 ACGG TCAC B1 (SEQ ID NO: 25) (SEQ ID NO: 26) Follistatin NM_006350 TGCCACCTGAGAAAGG ACAGACAGGCTCATCC 201 (FST) CTAC GACT (SEQ ID NO: 27) (SEQ ID NO: 28) Noggin NM_005450 CACTACGACCCAGGCT CTCCGCAGCTTCTTGC 212 (NOG) TCAT TTAG (SEQ ID NO: 29) (SEQ ID NO: 30) CER-1 NM_005454 ATAGTGAGCCCTTCCC AATGAACAGACCCGC 294 ACCT ATTTC (SEQ ID NO: 33) (SEQ ID NO: 34) NMA NM_005791 GATCGCCACTCCAGCT GGGCACGGCAATGAC 471 (BAMBI) ACATC C (SEQ ID NO: 35) (SEQ ID NO: 36)

TABLE 2 BMP Family Members Expressed in Human TM and ONH Optic Trabecular Nerve BMP Family Member Meshwork Head BMP-2 + + BMP-4 + + BMP-5 + + BMP-7 + + BMPR-IA + + BMPR-IB + + BMPR-II + + Chordin + + Gremlin + + Follistatin + + Bambi + + Noggin − − CER-1 − −

Western immunoblotting: Protein was extracted from cultured cells using lysis buffer, and proteins were separated by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis prior to electrophoretic transfer to nitrocellulose membranes (Lambert et al. 2001). The membranes were blocked with 5% milk (for BMPs) or 3% gelatin (for BMPRs) and incubated with the following primary antibodies: BMP2, BMP4, BMP5, BMP7 (all from Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.), or BMP-RIA, BMP-RIB, BMP-RII (from Jackson Immuno Research, West Grove, Pa.). The membranes were washed, incubated with secondary antibodies (goat anti-mouse IgG-horseradish peroxidase for BMPs, Santa Cruz; donkey anti-goat-horseradish peroxidase for BMP receptors, Jackson Immuno Research), and developed using the WesternBreeze chemiluminescence immunodetection system (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.).

Expression of BMPs, BMPRs mRNA in human TM cells and tissues: Amplification products of expected for BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-5 and BMP-7 primer pairs in human TM cells and tissues are shown in FIG. 6. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. All human TM cell lines and tissues expressed message for BMP-2, BMP-4, and BMP-7. However, message for BMP-5 was low to undetectable in human TM tissue samples (FIG. 6, lanes 6 and 7). Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination (FIG. 6, lane C).

FIG. 7 shows the amplification products of expected size for BMP-RIA, BMP-RIB, and BMP-RII primer pairs in human TM cells and tissues. All human TM cells and tissues expressed message for the BMP receptor complexes. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. An alternate amplification product (350 bp) was detected in the BMP-RII PCR reaction. The alternate amplification product was present in all human TM cells and tissues. This alternate band is currently being identified to determine if it is an alternate spliced form of the receptor. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products (FIG. 7, lane C) indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

Expression of BMP and BMP receptor mRNA in human ONH cells and tissues: Amplification products of expected size for BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-5 and BMP-7 primer pairs in human ONH astrocytes and ONH tissues are shown in FIG. 8. All ONH astrocytes and ONH tissue expressed message for the respective BMP. Human brain astrocytes were used as a positive control cell line. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. With the exception of BMP-2, all other BMP were expressed by human brain astrocytes (FIG. 8, lane 7). Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products (FIG. 8, lane C) indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

FIG. 9 shows the amplification products of expected sizes for BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-5 and BMP-7 primer pairs in cultured human LC cells. All LC cell lines expressed message for each BMP. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products (FIG. 9, lane C) indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

Amplification products of expected size for BMP-RIA, BMP-RIB, and BMP-RII primer pairs in human ONH astrocytes and ONH tissues are shown in FIG. 10. All ONH astrocyte cell lines and tissues expressed message for BMP-RIA and BMP-RIB. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. With the exception of ONH tissue (FIG. 10, lane 6), BMP-RII was expressed by all ONH astrocyte cell lines. Message for all BMP receptors (FIG. 10, lane 7) was expressed by a human brain astrocyte cell line that served as a positive control. There appears to be a discrepancy in the expression of BMP-RII in ONH tissue and ONH cell lines. The reduced expression in ONH tissue may reflect a low level of expression. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products (FIG. 5, lane C) indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

FIG. 11 shows the amplification products of expected size for BMP-RIA, BMP-RIB, and BMP-RII primer pairs in cultured human LC cells. All LC cell lines expressed message for each BMP receptor. Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products (FIG. 11, lane C) indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

Expression of BMP proteins and BMP receptor proteins in human TM and ONH cells and tissues: FIG. 12 represents chemiluminescent immunoblot detection of BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-5, BMP-7, BMP-RIA, BMP-RIB, and BMP-RII proteins in human TM and ONH cells and tissues. All cell lines studied expressed the respective BMP proteins. The BMP proteins were detected in cell lines the following molecular weights: 54-56 kDa for BMP-2, 25-27 kDa for BMP-4, 55-57 kDa for BMP-5, and 77 kDa for BMP-7. Multiple bands were detected for BMP-2 and BMP-4, which most likely represent glycosylated, and partially glycosylated forms of these BMPs as seen in other studies. However, we did not do glycosylation studies as they were beyond the scope of this study. The BMP receptor proteins were detected in cell lines at molecular weights: 38 kDa for BMP-RIA, kDa for BMP-RIB, and 57 kDa for BMP-RII. Multiple bands were detected for BMP-RIB and BMP-RII in the TM cells, which most likely represent glycosylated, and partially glycosylated forms as seen in other studies. The expression levels of proteins for the BMP receptors appeared to be lower in the TM cells compared to ONH cells. For example BMP-RII was not detected in TM cells and BMP-RIB was greatly reduced.

Expression of BMP associated protein mRNAs in cultured human TM cells and in human ONH cells: Amplification products of expected size for BMP associated protein primer pairs in human TM cell lines are shown in FIG. 13. Human TM cell lines expressed message for DRM (gremlin), chordin, follistatin, and NMA (BAMBI). Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. There was no apparent difference in message expression between cell lines. All human TM cells examined failed to express mRNA for the BMP associated proteins noggin and Cer-1. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA or RNA contamination.

Amplification products of expected size for BMP associated protein primer pairs in ONH astrocytes and LC cell lines are shown in FIG. 14. All ONH astrocytes and LC cell lines expressed message for DRM (gremlin), follistatin and NMA (BAMBI). Southern blots using specific probes verified that these were the expected PCR products. The majority of LC cells and ONH astrocytes expressed message for chordin. All human ONH astrocytes and LC cells examined failed to express mRNA for the BMP associated proteins noggin and Cer-1. Control reactions without cDNA did not result in amplification products indicating that reagents and primers were free of DNA and RNA contamination.

FIG. 15 shows increased expression of the BMP antagonist gremlin (CKTSF1B1) in glaucomatous TM cells. Gene expression was assessed using Affymetrix gene arrays (Affymetrix gene chip U133A).

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain agents which are both chemically and structurally related may be substituted for the agents described herein to achieve similar results. All such substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

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1. A method for diagnosing glaucoma in a sample obtained from a cell or bodily fluid by detecting altered expression of a bone morphogenic family member gene, said method comprising the steps of: g) obtaining a tissue or fluid sample from a patient suspected of having glaucoma; h) extracting DNA from said sample; i) obtaining a plurality of PCR primers, wherein said primers each comprise a sequence consisting of from 18 to 1547 contiguous nucleotides from SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53; j) amplifying regions of the extracted DNA using said primers to obtain a PCR product; k) resolving the PCR product; and l) identifying differences between the sequence of the amplified extracted DNA and the sequence of the primer; where a difference between the amplified sequence and the primer is diagnostic of glaucoma.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said tissue or fluid sample is blood or buccal cells.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primers comprise sequences consisting of from to 100 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, or SEQ ID NO:53.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the primers comprise sequences consisting of from 20 to 50 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:3.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the PCR product is resolved by SSCP, DGGE, ASO or RFLP.
 6. A method for treating glaucoma comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a composition comprising a sequence consisting of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a BMP2 agonist, a BMP4 agonist, a BMP5 agonist, a BMP7 agonist, a Smad 1/5 agonist, a chordin antagonist, a gremlin antagonist and a follistatin antagonist.
 7. A method for identifying a therapeutic agent for the treatment of glaucoma, said method comprising: d) obtaining a first composition comprising a population of recombinant cells expressing BMP-2A, BMP4, BMP-5, or BMP7; e) obtaining a candidate substance; f) incubating said composition and said candidate substance; g) testing said composition for its ability to turn on BMP-induced Smad signaling pathways or BMP-regulated gene expression; and h) identifying a candidate substance that inhibits, or stimulates, BMP-induced Smad signaling pathways or BMP-regulated gene expression. 